Cozumel Safe?

[18sprint]

We have an excursion through Disney planned for our Cozumel day in May, but watching the news, we're getting nervous about it now. Just looking for a few opinions...are we being paranoid or should we be concerned? Thinking of cancelling.

 

[dcassetta]

We have an excursion through Disney planned for our Cozumel day in May, but watching the news, we're getting nervous about it now. Just looking for a few opinions...are we being paranoid or should we be concerned? Thinking of cancelling.

I would not be concerned. The issues facing other regions of Mexico are not really a concern in Cozumel. Being an island helps. You should always be cognizant of your surroundings, as you would in any unfamiliar place, but Cozumel is safe to visit.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We were in Cozumel in late Feb and have friends there today on their Dream sailing. We both chose Disney port adventures. I would not be concerned doing a Disney excursion. If Disney feels it will be unsafe I feel they would let you know.

 

[aliceinvunderland]

We were just in Cozumel a couple of weeks ago. While we wouldn’t currently vacation in Mexico due to crime, we felt plenty safe in Cozumel with our two kids. We found our own taxi and used an independent company to charter a 40’ catamaran for the day and everything felt very safe and professional.

 

[Snowwhyt]

You shouldn’t have to be concerned with Disney and any port that it stops at. Disney has been known to remove ports that were a concern in the past and they would do it again I’m sure.
The drug cartels lose lots of money, when the government steps in because the tourist has been harmed.
Do you remember how recently the drug cartel gave up four or five guys and a vehicle saying that they were responsible for harming those tourists in Mexico? They did that so that they could still do their business without interference. The criminals probably would’ve been killed by the cartel for making national headlines with tourists. But now the headlines instead read that they have been captured! Isn’t it nice the cartel did that? (choke, choke, cough, cough)
It’s probably safer now in Mexico than it’s ever been for tourists before. Now you got the cartel watching out to make sure you’re safe!

 

[Mango7100]

We were in Cozumel in March on the Dream and we did a catamaran snorkel/beach break excursion through Disney. The catamaran was docked at the pier, so we didn’t even have to walk out of the port area. The beach was a private one as well, and we felt totally safe. Only weird thing was at the beach they were selling “real“ Louis Vuitton bags and Rolex watches for $75– what a bargain I would not do any cab or anything on our own in Mexico, but that’s my personal comfort level.

 

[TXDCLfan]

You shouldn’t have to be concerned with Disney and any port that it stops at. Disney has been known to remove ports that were a concern in the past and they would do it again I’m sure.
The drug cartels lose lots of money, when the government steps in because the tourist has been harmed.
Do you remember how recently the drug cartel gave up four or five guys and a vehicle saying that they were responsible for harming those tourists in Mexico? They did that so that they could still do their business without interference. The criminals probably would’ve been killed by the cartel for making national headlines with tourists. But now the headlines instead read that they have been captured! Isn’t it nice the cartel did that? (choke, choke, cough, cough)
It’s probably safer now in Mexico than it’s ever been for tourists before. Now you got the cartel watching out to make sure you’re safe!

And just the other day at a resort in central Mexico a group of six adults and a child were gun downed,

 

[TRTRguy]

Was just in cozumel last Wednesday on the Magic, felt completely safe.

 

[gmi3804]

And just the other day at a resort in central Mexico a group of six adults and a child were gun downed,

They should've just stayed in the US - they could've saved some money!

From the State Department:

The state of Quintana Roo — which includes popular tourist areas such Cancun, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya — is another area where the State Department advises visitors to “exercise increased caution due to crime and kidnapping.”
Mar 9, 2023

 

[kathi]

They should've just stayed in the US - they could've saved some money!

From the State Department:

The state of Quintana Roo — which includes popular tourist areas such Cancun, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya — is another area where the State Department advises visitors to “exercise increased caution due to crime and kidnapping.”
Mar 9, 2023

Here is the full advisory.

Quintana Roo state – Exercise Increased Caution

Exercise increased caution due to crime and kidnapping.

Criminal activity and violence may occur in any location, at any time, including in popular tourist destinations. Travelers should maintain a high level of situational awareness, avoid areas where illicit activities occur, and promptly depart from potentially dangerous situations. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping.

While not directed at tourists, shootings between rival gangs have injured innocent bystanders. Additionally, U.S. citizens have been the victims of both non-violent and violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas.

There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Quintana Roo state, which include tourist areas in: Cancun, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and the Riviera Maya. However, personnel are advised to exercise increased situational awareness after dark in downtown areas of Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen, and to remain in well-lit pedestrian streets and tourist zones.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mexico-travel-advisory.html#Quintana Roo state

 

[DCLForLife]

I would not worry. Walking around touristy areas of Cozumel during the day is safer than walking around most small cities in the US.

 

[Snowwhyt]

And just the other day at a resort in central Mexico a group of six adults and a child were gun downed,

Wonder if the cartel will turn them in as well? Or did the government/police get them right away? The shift of cartels in crime figures to crime fighters is rather unsettling, right?

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

We were just in Cozumel and felt completely safe. We did a DCL excursion and were taken right from the pier by boat to our location. We were ready to come back early and an employee hailed us a cab, which dropped us off right at the port. Several years ago we were also in Cozumel and got a taxi on our own to go to Nachi Cocom, went into the Mega near the port (like a grocery-walmart kind of place), and also felt totally fine. I would not worry about Cozumel and doing a DCL excursion.

We were also at Progreso and did the Chichen-Itza ruins, which was a very long bus ride from the port. I didn't feel unsafe on that either, though I was definitely a little more anxious about that area than at Cozumel. I decided though that I definitely didn't like spending that much travel time on an excursion, and I didn't like the feeling of being that far away from the ship and not under our own control to get back to it.

 

[Geomom]

I felt completely safe on our DCL Cozumel excursion last June (Mayan ruins, chocolate, beach break.). DCL was not doing any mainland excursions at that time (not sure if that's still true?). The island of Cozumel is very dependent upon tourism and they are so happy to have the tourists back after Covid. Our guide made a point of saying how safe Cozumel is vs the mainland. I also agree that DCL wouldn't even port there if they thought it was unsafe. They have pulled out of Mexican Riviera ports before (like Puerta Vallarta) due to violence reported in the news.

 

[Travel60]

And just the other day at a resort in central Mexico a group of six adults and a child were gun downed,

There were at least seven mass shootings in the US last weekend - Alabama and Kentucky to name two. I feel safer walking around downtown Cozumel than downtown Baltimore.

 

[lscrivan18]

And just the other day at a resort in central Mexico a group of six adults and a child were gun downed,

This was nowhere near Cozumel. We all have had shootings closer to our homes in distance here in the US than the distance this resort is from Cozumel.

 

[kathi]

We were in Cozumel 2 weeks ago and, as always, took a cab from the port to Nachi Cocom and back again. No problems or concerns at all.

 

[CaseyCruiser]

We also did a DCL excursion in Cozumel a couple weeks ago. Very safe.

 

[MichelleCanada]

Was just in cozumel last Wednesday on the Magic, felt completely safe.

We were in this same cruise! We did the dune buggy and snorkel through Disney with my DS11 and we felt safe. My husband and I went back out to walk the main strip (after taking our son back to the ship) and shop a bit. It was fine. Like someone else said - always be aware of your surroundings but it felt the same as it did 4 years ago when we were there.

 

[OpieDoodle]

I was in Cozumel a few months ago and its was fantastic. Anywhere you go you should always be aware of your surroundings but doing an excursion through DCL I wouldn't worry honestly. Cozumel is an island, not to say something bad can't happen but the warning is more for the mainland downtown in cities at night.